Chemical Engineer AST, Aerospace Polymeric Materials (Direct Hire)

Applying chemical engineering principles to support the development and integration of analytical instrumentation, evaluating system parameters for volatile material analysis.

Coordinating the integration of requirements, schedules, and technical deliverables across internal engineering teams, external vendors, and commercial mission partners.

Managing technical interfaces between engineering disciplines and host platforms to prevent integration failures and ensure operational readiness during surface missions.

Overseeing the execution to design, develop or optimize scientific instruments or hardware fabrication processes.

Serving as the central technical liaison across customer organizations to coordinate issue resolution, design modifications, and evaluate instrument performance metrics.

In addition to the Basic Education Requirement (in the Education section below), to qualify for this position you must meet the requirements below.

Specialized experience is experience that has equipped you with the particular ability, skill, and knowledge to successfully perform the duties of this position and is typically in or related to this line of work.

NASA utilizes OPM-approved qualification and rating requirements specific for Aerospace Technology (AST) positions which recognizes NASA's unique aerospace work. The specific qualifications and minimum education requirements are further described below and within the education section of the job announcement.

To qualify for GS-13, you must have one year of directly related specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level: Leading cross-functional engineering initiatives to optimize manufacturing processes, equipment deployments, or analytical instrumentation workflows; Translating technical requirements between internal engineering disciplines and external stakeholders to manage project dependencies, risk governance, and schedule execution; Applying chemical or process engineering principles to resolve technical interface issues, improve system yield, or execute hardware testing and validation procedures.

In determining the NASA AST specific position title to which you are appointed, you may be required to have one of the following majors (this list is not inclusive): Aeronautical Engineering, Aeronautics, Aerospace Engineering, Astronautical Engineering, Astronautics, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Materials Engineering, Materials Science, Applied Mechanics, Engineering Mechanics, Mechanical Engineering, Nuclear Engineering Physics, Physics, Applied Physics, Engineering Physics, Structural Engineering, Welding Engineering.Other majors will qualify if the major includes or is supplemented as follows: Ceramics or Ceramics Engineering (with 12 semester hours in refractory ceramics, cermets or protective coatings); Civil Engineering, Computer Science, or Geology (with 12 semester hours in strength of materials, structures, thermodynamics, and/or basic static and dynamics); Metallurgy or Metallurgical Engineering (with 12 semester hours in physical or adaptive metallurgy, high temperature metals and alloys, cermets); Mathematics or Nuclear Engineering (with nine semester hours in physics, structures, materials or other appropriate courses).

Other appropriate physical science or engineering fields may qualify with appropriate supplemental courses. Your resume must include a clear and detailed narrative description, in your own words, of how you meet the required specialized experience.

Experience statements copied from a position description, vacancy announcement or other reference material constitutes plagiarism and may result in disqualification and losing consideration for the job.

Please visit https://www.nasa.gov/careers/how-to-apply/#Artificial-Intelligence to review NASA's guidance on the use of artificial intelligent (AI) or AI-assisted tools during the application process.